Zutara Week Drabbles Part 1
I've been wanting to write some 100 word drabbles for Avatar: The Last Air Bender for a while. (Actually, I've been wanting to write some 100 word drabbles regardless of the fandom, but we'll discuss that later.) The problem was finding good prompts. Fortunately, for the past three years, the Katara/Zuko ship got together for Zutara Week (seven different prompts to inspire fanwork of all kinds). With 21 prompts to choose from, I picked seven. (Though a few wound up being double drabble length.) You can find the second batch over here.
Title: After A Different Crossroads
Word Count: 100
Prompts: Alternate Universe
Notes: Post-ep for Crossroads of Destiny... with a slight change.
"So then Slowpoke here finally showed up and we overpowered them," Katara explained.
"Hey, I came as fast as I could! It took a while to bust my uncle out of all that crystal," the young stranger objected.
"I guess it wasn't made out of rock candy, then."
"What kind of crazy idiot would use rock candy to imprison someone?"
"Okay, hold it!" Sokka finally bellowed. "There is a critical piece of information you're leaving out here."
"What's that, Sokka?"
"Who IS this guy?" Sokka asked pointing to Katara's new companion.
"Ummm... Hello. Zuko here," the scar-less boy replied awkwardly.
Title: As Time Goes By
Word Count: 200
Prompts: Change
Her memory didn't fail her as she got older. It decided to start making things up.
While Aang and Sokka worried, he and his stupid ponytail were there giving her practical last minute advice on how to face Pakku, having had firsthand experience dueling a bending master.
When she collapsed after defeating Hama, he's the one that picked her up again because he's the only one that understood what it's like.
He's there making fun of Sokka's fake beard. Chasing after the specter of his mother in the swamp. Keeping an eye on Aang in the desert.
She knows that none of these memories actually happened, but she feels like they are true. And that scares her.
When she finally tells him, he carefully sets down his tea. (He's become more and more like his uncle every year. His scar, now faded with time, will soon be the only thing that differentiates him.)
"Sometimes, when I think about the days after I was burnt, I'd swear that you're there with me" is all he says.
And suddenly it makes sense. For sixty years, she has never had to face anything painful without her partner nearby. Not even in her memories.
Title: If At First You Don't Succeed...
Word Count: 200
Prompts: Lick
Notes: Yeah, don't ask me how I got this from the prompt "lick". I blame Sokka.
"What happened to you? You're soaked!"
"Thank you, Sokka. I already knew that."
"Appa lick you again?"
"No. Katara-"
"Katara licked you? You think you'd be used to it by now."
"I wish."
"What?"
"Nothing. She didn't lick- She didn't beat me. We weren't sparring, Sokka."
"Then why?"
"I got her angry."
"I thought you were getting better at that!"
"So did I."
"So what happened?"
"She didn't believe me."
"About what?"
"I asked her to marry me. She thought I was trying to make her feel better."
"Because the whole thing about Aang and the girl from-"
"Yeah."
"You don't ask someone to marry you just because she's feeling a little down that her ex is getting married first."
"Well, I know that, but tell her!! I didn't even know that Aang was getting married!"
"It happened really fast."
"Yeah, what was up that?"
"Well..."
"Forget it. It's better if I don't know."
"Don't worry. We'll fix this."
"We will?"
"Of course, we will! Man, this turned out great! You'll make a much better brother-in-law than Aang!"
"Yes, because I'm doing this for you."
"Do you want my help or not?"
"Yeah. Apparently I am that desperate."
Title: After A Different Crossroads
Word Count: 100
Prompts: Alternate Universe
Notes: Post-ep for Crossroads of Destiny... with a slight change.
"So then Slowpoke here finally showed up and we overpowered them," Katara explained.
"Hey, I came as fast as I could! It took a while to bust my uncle out of all that crystal," the young stranger objected.
"I guess it wasn't made out of rock candy, then."
"What kind of crazy idiot would use rock candy to imprison someone?"
"Okay, hold it!" Sokka finally bellowed. "There is a critical piece of information you're leaving out here."
"What's that, Sokka?"
"Who IS this guy?" Sokka asked pointing to Katara's new companion.
"Ummm... Hello. Zuko here," the scar-less boy replied awkwardly.
Title: As Time Goes By
Word Count: 200
Prompts: Change
Her memory didn't fail her as she got older. It decided to start making things up.
While Aang and Sokka worried, he and his stupid ponytail were there giving her practical last minute advice on how to face Pakku, having had firsthand experience dueling a bending master.
When she collapsed after defeating Hama, he's the one that picked her up again because he's the only one that understood what it's like.
He's there making fun of Sokka's fake beard. Chasing after the specter of his mother in the swamp. Keeping an eye on Aang in the desert.
She knows that none of these memories actually happened, but she feels like they are true. And that scares her.
When she finally tells him, he carefully sets down his tea. (He's become more and more like his uncle every year. His scar, now faded with time, will soon be the only thing that differentiates him.)
"Sometimes, when I think about the days after I was burnt, I'd swear that you're there with me" is all he says.
And suddenly it makes sense. For sixty years, she has never had to face anything painful without her partner nearby. Not even in her memories.
Title: If At First You Don't Succeed...
Word Count: 200
Prompts: Lick
Notes: Yeah, don't ask me how I got this from the prompt "lick". I blame Sokka.
"What happened to you? You're soaked!"
"Thank you, Sokka. I already knew that."
"Appa lick you again?"
"No. Katara-"
"Katara licked you? You think you'd be used to it by now."
"I wish."
"What?"
"Nothing. She didn't lick- She didn't beat me. We weren't sparring, Sokka."
"Then why?"
"I got her angry."
"I thought you were getting better at that!"
"So did I."
"So what happened?"
"She didn't believe me."
"About what?"
"I asked her to marry me. She thought I was trying to make her feel better."
"Because the whole thing about Aang and the girl from-"
"Yeah."
"You don't ask someone to marry you just because she's feeling a little down that her ex is getting married first."
"Well, I know that, but tell her!! I didn't even know that Aang was getting married!"
"It happened really fast."
"Yeah, what was up that?"
"Well..."
"Forget it. It's better if I don't know."
"Don't worry. We'll fix this."
"We will?"
"Of course, we will! Man, this turned out great! You'll make a much better brother-in-law than Aang!"
"Yes, because I'm doing this for you."
"Do you want my help or not?"
"Yeah. Apparently I am that desperate."